20,425 dead or missing as Japan marks 5 months since disaster

20,425 dead or missing as Japan marks 5 months since disaster




National
Aug. 12, 2011 - 07:00AM JST



TOKYO —

Japan on Thursday marked five months since the earthquake and tsunami
devastated the Tohoku region on March 11. The government said that as
of Aug 1, 20,425 people were either dead or missing, while more than
90,000 people remain displaced because of the tsunami and the ongoing
nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.


NTV reported that memorial services were held in several cities in
the region, including Sendai, Morioka, Ishinomaki and Kesennuma, ahead
of next week’s O-Bon festival, which honors the spirits of one’s
relatives who have died in the past year. A moment of silence was
observed at 2:46 p.m., the time when the earthquake struck.